One of the fastest growing segments of both the housing and transportation industries is the motor home. Many people, particularly retired people are making the motor home their only residence.
Motor homes have evolved from busses, trucks, and vans to the dedicated chassis, built from the ground up to be a motor home. Market demand for more functional space has evolved the “bump out” or “slide out”, an enclosed section that pushes out from the side to expand the living area. A bump out may be over 20′ long and may push out more than 3′. Some units even have opposite sides move out to expand the width of the living area from 8′ to 12′ or more. Another market driven improvement is the basement, a large storage space between the bottom and the floor much like the luggage compartments of an interstate passenger bus.
The automobile industry has evolved lighter, stronger, and safer structure by going from the body on frame configuration to a unibody construction. Even the fixed glass of modern automobiles is bonded to the frame to contribute to the rigidity of the total structure.
Motor homes haven't evolved as the automobile industry has. Even the best of dedicated motor home chassis derives most of its strength from the structure below the floor. Class A motor homes are constructed on bare, specially designed motor vehicle chassis. Generally, support and strength are derived solely from the chassis. The living enclosure is typically very light framing of multiple small dissimilar components.
The present market is being satiated with elaborate interiors and gadgetry but there is desire for more. The market wants the following:
Many motor homes tow a car for convenient transportation when they reach a destination. The mass of the motor home is sufficient challenge for most drivers without the addition of a vehicle in tow. There needs to be provision for a vehicle to be carried on board.
The basement storage was well received but there is still desire for more versatile space. People who can afford the motor home life style want their toys. There needs to be space for 4-wheelers, motorcycles, bicycles, snow machines, personal water craft, etc.
Motor homes today have most of their furniture fixed in one position. This tends to define a given space to one function. People want to be able to arrange their own furniture and have more flexible use of space.
Motor homes are typically poorly insulated. Many won't tolerate the extreme cold of a ski resort without water freezing problems and/or excess heating fuel consumption. They also use a lot of energy staying cool. Often the air conditioning units are roof mounted pods that add to height with out adding space. What is needed is better thermal performance with integral heating and cooling.
Much of the current construction is light assemblies of dissimilar materials mechanically fastened or bonded together. Often, provision for different expansions and performances of different materials is not considered in construction. More durable permanent construction is needed.
Many motor homes are very heavy with large frontal areas and poor aerodynamics. Many carry their weight high making them top heavy. Many are under-powered compared to the traffic around them. Better handling and fuel performance is needed.
The regulatory dimension limits for a motor home in the United States are 8½ feet wide, 13½ feet high, and up to 50 feet long. Most states will allow motor homes of 50 feet in length to be classified as busses, but the trend in motor homes is a 40 foot maximum length. The maximum allowed expanded living space in a motor home by regulation is 400 square feet. Any desired function must be achieved within this finite space.
The great weight associated with class A motor homes interferes with the capacity of the vehicle. One commercially available motor home has a gross vehicle weight of 55,000 lbs, and a wet weight of 54,140 lbs, leaving only 860 lbs of capacity for passengers, luggage, and other equipment. This would be inadequate to hold weighty equipment like automobiles, all terrain vehicles, or snowmobiles. The massiveness of this vehicle substantially retards fuel efficiency as well as capacity.
Clearly what is needed is a Class A recreational vehicle capable of providing high payload capacity, improved fuel efficiency, and ample flexible living space and storage space.